Lallybroch!
by JennyLou
Summary: Jamie and Claire have arrived at Lallybroch!


Lallybroch!

Ah! Here at last after four long days of travel and sleeping rough! They had arrived late yesterday afternoon and the joy of being here had overwhelmed him to speechlessness. They had met Ian and the dogs on the road and before he could say a word of welcome Young Ian was in his father's arms. Ian had pushed Young Ian back with his hands on his shoulders to give him a thorough look over. He had held his son's face in his hands and had run his thumbs over the tattoos that ran over Young Ian's nose and cheeks and then had pulled him back into a fierce hug.

He had looked over at Claire to see tears running down her cheeks and felt a lump of his own in his throat. He had dismounted and with a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder turned him and found himself pulled into another fierce hug as Ian thumped his back in excitement and pleasure. Ian had then turned to Claire and taken her hand and kissed it hard with tears of his own in his eyes.

When they had reached the house Jenny had come running to be picked up by her son and crushed in his arms as they both cried with their faces buried in each other's hair overcome by the being together. His sister had then turned to him and he had held her in his own arms without being able to say a word and how long they had held each other he did not know, but at least until Claire had touched his arm and she had taken Jenny into her own embrace, both women their faces awash in tears.

As they lay in bed in their old bedroom he walked around the farm in his mind. The old broch had a bit more of a lean but the house and the out buildings remained essentially the same with perhaps a repair visible here and there, a new bit of stone or wood not so weathered as the rest. He felt a deep satisfaction knowing that his family and the tenants had weathered most of their trials and had come to now with roofs over their heads and food on tables.

With butterflies in his wame he looked forward to seeing Young Jamie, his wife and family, Maggie, her husband and children and Janet who were all arriving tomorrow and the knowledge that Michael, his wife and children were coming from Paris and bringing with them his Uncles Jared and Alex, of all things. Jenny had commented caustically that it took his arriving from the Americas to roust their uncles out of France but a sweet smile aimed in his direction had softened her words.

He heard Claire sigh deeply in contentment and turned and pulled her into his arms and sighed just as deeply in response recalling that she had felt Lallybroch had been her first true home having lived a vagabond life as a child with her Uncle Lambert, though she had never said as much in so many words. Added to that, there was her war that had displaced her and Frank so thoroughly that they had come to Scotland in an attempt to know each other again. And that as a result she had come to him, "Thank You Lord!" he thought with a nod to the heavens.

He felt her body soften and get heavy as she slipped into sleep and held her safe as the memories of their time here surged over him so clear and so painful as to be almost able to transport them back in time. He stiffened and gasped at the memory of his being taken by The Watch and grimaced with anger and disgust at the thought of turning her away from himself as Jack Randall waited for him in Wentworth and then shivered at the memory of the fierce determination of her that saw him taken away and safe from the prison and his tormentor.

He felt her hand reach up and stroke him from shoulder to wrist and heard her whisper "We are here. We are safe. We are together. And … we have a home, our home, to go to. So sleep Jamie" she paused for a heartbeat and said so softly he felt her whisper more than heard it "I love you!" He ran his hand down her back and cupped her round firm cheek in response and smiled at the novelty of her words "I love you". Not said often, but when said met with absolute trust and assurance. He felt his own body grow heavy and felt the veil of sleep creep over him and let himself go with the knowledge that she would be there with him when he awoke in the morning.


End file.
